President Ueli Maurer's first trip abroad in 2019 takes him to Austria

Bern, 07.01.2019 - In keeping with the tradition that Switzerland and Austria cultivate contacts at presidential level early in the year, President Ueli Maurer will be travelling to Vienna this week, where he will meet Austria's President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

The separate meetings with the Austrian President and Chancellor on 11 January 2019 will focus on bilateral relations and European policy issues. A review of Austria's EU presidency in the second half of 2018 will also be on the agenda. Pan-European challenges such as migration, the situation in Western Balkan states and security architecture issues will likewise be discussed. In addition, the challenge posed by climate change and the global development of financial markets will be addressed.

The meeting with President Van der Bellen will also be attended by Austria's Finance Minister, Hartwig Löger, and Switzerland's Jörg Gasser, State Secretary for International Finance. Moreover, an exchange with the President of the Austrian National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, is planned.

The intensive diplomatic visits between Switzerland and Austria reflect the close and neighbourly relations between the two countries. More than 42,000 Austrians live in Switzerland, and a further 8,200 work here as cross-border commuters. Over 16,000 Swiss nationals live in Austria. The countries are each other's most important trading partners.